Harry Morgan took some odd acting jobs to support his family during his early acting career

"I don't think I ever turned down a picture, no matter how lousy it was!"

Everett Collection

If you're planning on pursuing a career in acting, it's best to keep a brave heart and a stiff upper lip. Unless you're wildly successful, the life of an actor can be erratic and inconsistent.

Harry Morgan, best known for his work on Dragnet and M*A*S*H, was no stranger to struggle. Compounding these issues, Morgan had a family to support.

In an interview with the Journal Gazette and Times-Courier, Morgan was pressed as whether the weaker moments of his career when he was short on work taught him any important lessons.

"I suppose they give you a sense of values, but I don't know how long-term that is," he said. "In my own case, the minute I became successful to the point where I had the feeling it wouldn't stop, I probably wasn't as careful with money and other things as I had been."

Morgan also discussed his wife and family, which fueled him to pursue whatever roles he could, a decision he now regrets.

"My wife and I had four children, and had considerable expenses with the schooling and all that," he said. "I don't think I ever turned down a picture, no matter how lousy it was! And, as a consequence, I've done something like 110 features. We were on a very slim budget, and I didn't want to turn the work down - even though I wish now they would burn the negatives of some of that old stuff!"

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